Thank you all so much for the reads and reviews so far! I'm really excited about this story, and have a bunch of interesting things planned. Without further ado, here's the next chapter.
The next morning, I wake up just as the sun is rising, the beams of light peeking in through my window. My first instinct is to go see Edward but I thought better of it. It was still early and I didn't want to risk waking him up.
It was the end of the week, which meant that it was the one day I was allowed to go out into town to peruse the farmer's market with Angela. I enjoyed getting to talk to the townspeople and it always made me so much more aware of what was going on in Alynthia when I got to hear about it from them.
So I change into a blue dress, one of the ones my father had approved of to wear out in public, don a light scarf, and head outside for a walk in the garden to kill some time before Angela comes to get me.
The garden at the backside of the castle was my absolute favorite place in the world. My mother used to take me here all the time when I was little and father never cared to come with. The rows of roses and fruit trees and dense foliage gave plenty of places to hide when I wanted to be away from the castle. It used to be my escape, and in a way, it still is.
I sit against the orange tree I had once carved my name into. It was all jagged and barely legible, and took my ten year old self hours. Over the years, the number or carving grew from drawings of whatever was on my mind that day to mindless doodles and shapes. I don't know what force possesses me now to put a sharp rock I had grabbed from the base of the trunk against the tree and start carving but soon there was a small B + E engraved into it.
God, I was hopeless, pining after a man I could never have. I had barely spoken to him and I was already feeling much more than I should or, frankly, could. He could already be married or otherwise engaged, and more importantly, I was betrothed, a little fact that I seem to not want to remember.
I shove the offending rock back under the dirt and stand up, brushing the wood carvings from my dress. I'm just about to head back through the trees to the main area of the garden when a flash of color catches my eye.
A single purple flower stands out among the field of common daisies. I don't know why my first thought was that Edward might like it. Jasper and I used to pick flowers to give to the guards and our mother but we haven't in years. I pick the flower, placing it gently in my pocket right as Angela appears between the flower arch.
"Princess Isabella? Are you ready to leave?"
Emmet and Michael accompany us in the carriage that pulls us into the village square. I've heard this part of town is often busy but on days when the farmers market has their stalls set up it is especially so. Hundreds of men, women, and children weave through the busy streets, some with their baskets full and some just to peruse.
Walking along the aisles of different vendors with Angela, I could almost pretend we were normal friends, just enjoying a day out. If only it weren't for Emmet and Michael shadowing us. I did like spending time with Angela, but it always feels as though there's a sense of obligation that motivates her friendliness and I often wonder if we would have any inkling of the same friendship if she weren't my lady-in-waiting.
Many of the people we pass give us a wide berth, eyeing the guards but offering me a pleasant smile. The children wave and it makes me happy to see how excited they are. Some of the citizens stop me to let me know what issues they've seen arise recently, such as the cracks in the roads and the recent lack of options for childcare and as I've rehearsed with my tutors, I promise to bring it up to our council. I wish I could do more than write their concerns on a piece of paper that will most likely never be read by my father or his confidants but I can always hope.
Angela stops us at a vegetable stall with new exports from across the ocean and is excited over some of the produce she's never seen. As she chats with the vendor who explains what each of the greens she has picked out are, I notice an older gentleman and a younger lady looking out of place in the bustling crowd. I stop to watch them.
The older gentleman hesitates to approach a stand, asking the vendor something before showing him a piece of paper. The vendor shakes his head and the man frowns. The young lady tosses her blonde hair, and looks around, spinning in a circle with her hands on her hips.
"I'll be right back," I tell Angela who was still busy picking out vegetables. I nod to Emmet who keeps his eye on me as I walk over to the pair.
"Excuse me? Are you lost?" I ask. They turn to look at me and the lack of recognition only further confirms my suspicions.
The young lady glares at me for a second, and I feel like withering under her stare. She raises a brow, looking over at the older gentleman next to her.
He gives me a warm smile, although it doesn't completely mask his worry. "We don't want to be a bother."
"You're no bother at all," I promise. "Are you new here?"
"Like we would live here," the lady scoffs. The man elbows her. "I mean…we're looking for my brother. We haven't been able to get a hold of him and according to his travel plans he was headed in this direction. We've been searching for days and now I'm afraid we're lost.
"We're trying to find a place to stay, preferable somewhere that won't cost much. We left our home in a hurry to come find him and we're quite a long way from home. Would you happen to have any recommendations? We plan on trying to head back tomorrow. We'll have to come back with a larger party." The man looks embarrassed and exhausted, the dark bags under his eyes prominent on his face.
Even with all my problems at home, I had always been fortunate to never want for anything materialistic. And I couldn't imagine being so far from home, looking for your missing child, all while not knowing if you would ever see them again. I wanted to do whatever I could to help them.
I look back at Emmet who is still keeping an eye on me from a distance and wave him over. He whispers something to Michael and Angela, leaving them to come over to me.
"Emmet, I'm going to escort them over to Mrs. Cope's bed and breakfast."
He doesn't take his eyes off the blonde. "Yes, miss."
"This way please." I lead them through the crowd, down the block. Once we've passed the cluster of vendors, there are significantly less people. Mrs. Cope's place isn't too far from the center of town and we reach the two story inn in no time. Her place was a bit on the pricier side but she really was the most comfortable place to stay in town and they looked like they could really use it.
"Good morning Mrs. Cope," I greet, entering the building and approaching her desk. Mrs. Cope has been in charge of this bed and breakfast for as long as I can remember. She and her husband both spend a lot of their days here, but Mr. Cope often gets called to repair homes around town as one of the more skilled men in the area, so it wasn't surprising to see Mrs. Cope holding down the fort on her own.
Her eyes widen in surprise as she recognizes me. "Good morning, your highness!"
"No need for that, please," I assure her, looking back to make sure nobody else had heard. Luckily, Emmet has been keeping them both occupied with his nonstop stories since we started our walk over here.
"Can you please provide these two with the best room available? I would appreciate it if you would let them know the room is complimentary. Perhaps you could make up some discount or something." I hand her a handful of coins that would more than cover the cost. "It should just be for one night but here's extra just in case."
"Yes, of course, Princess Isabella," she beams.
The others finally approach the desk and Mrs. Cope quickly explains the situation.
"And of course breakfast is fully included," she makes sure to let them know.
"Thank you very much. We appreciate the gesture," the woman thanks Mrs. Cope.
"Well I do hope the accommodations are to your liking," I tell them, getting ready to leave. I couldn't keep Angela waiting too long. "Please take this as well." I hand them my pouch with the rest of the gold coins.
"This is much too generous," the man protests.
"Nonsense," I close his hand around the pouch.
"You have to let us repay you in some way."
"Perhaps you could pay it forward," I suggest. I didn't need the money and part of me was relieved that someone would be benefiting from it.
I turn to face the both of them. "I'm sorry you weren't able to track down who you were hoping to. I do hope you have more luck soon but in the meantime, please get some rest and travel safe."
The girl steps forward, no traces of her earlier hostility on her face. Finally getting a closer look at her, she was gorgeous, her heart shaped face and full pink lips offset by large blue eyes. She gives me a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispers in my ear before letting go and stepping back.
The man takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it, echoing his thanks as well.
Emmet and I wave, leaving them with Mrs. Cope and head back to find Angela and Michael.
"That was nice of you," Emmet casually comments, looking back to the girl one more time with a look of longing.
"Someone's got a crush," I lightly tease.
"Alright, Princess Isabella," Emmet playfully bumps my shoulder. "You're one to talk."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I mock glare as we approach the carriage. Angela is already waiting for me and slides over to the far side as I step in.
I was anxious to get back to the castle and I think everyone knows it too. I swing by the kitchen on my way to Edward's room grabbing a tray of breakfast to bring with me. Standing outside of his room, I can feel myself buzzing with excitement, wanting to see him.
I lightly knock, opening the door to find Edward, who looks to have freshly showered, sitting on the bed, looking out the window. He gives me a soft smile and I feel that warmth spread through my chest. I am hopeless.
I quickly shake myself out of it, placing the tray on the table in the little sitting area on the far side of the room. It's similar to my own, with a small table and two armchairs on either side.
"I see Emmet brought you some more clothes." I take in his t-shirt and jeans. "I brought breakfast. Would you like to join me?"
He grabs the crutch that was brought in from his bedside and uses it to limp over to the chair, taking a seat across from me. Looking over him, he doesn't look any worse than last night. I hope the cuts are healing properly. Maybe I'm being a little too overprotective.
"How are you feeling this morning?" I place a teacup in front of him. I grab a couple sugar cubes, dropping them into my own drink.
He tilts his head, taking a long slow look over my body, before locking his eyes with mine. The heat behind them is so intense, I need to look away. So instead I focus on placing the rest of his breakfast in front of him.
"I'm feeling much better, Princess Bella."
I smile at the way my name sounds coming from him. I also love that he feels comfortable enough to call me Bella instead of Isabella like everyone else.
"That's great to hear." I take a sip of my tea and scrunch my nose at the bitterness. I add some milk and another sugar cube. "Have any of your memories returned?"
Edward narrows his eyes for a second, as if trying to decide whether to trust me with what he's going to say next. He relaxes into his chair.
"Actually yes." He picks up his own cup and takes a sip. I make a mental note that he takes his tea plain. "I remember a lot about myself. Unfortunately I don't quite remember where I came from or where I was headed," he frowns, the frustration showing in the lines between his brows.
It seems off that his memory is so spotty but he's upset so I up my own enthusiasm to try to cheer him up. I don't like how hard he seems to be on himself for something that was hardly his fault. "That's great, Edward!"
"Masen," he snaps.
"What?"
"My name is Masen. Only my close friends and family call me Edward."
"Oh." My face heats up in embarrassment. It must be a middle name that I obviously wasn't privy to. It was a reality check to hear he doesn't consider me a friend, or at least a close one. Of course he wouldn't. We just met. He doesn't trust me. His tone made that very clear.
"Sorry, Masen." Part of me is a little angry at him for being so short with me. It's not like I was calling him Edward on purpose. That's the name he gave me.
He frowns, and for a moment, I think he might regret his words and take them back but he doesn't. I can feel a coldness starting to form between us that wasn't there before.
I clear my throat, plastering the carefully practiced smile back on my face. "So, will you tell me?"
He's clearly taken aback by how quickly I've changed my demeanor. "Tell you what?"
"About you." I feel very much like a little kid trying to make friends on a playground. Awkward and straight to the point.
"You want to know about me?" He asks slowly, like he didn't think he understood me correctly.
I nod, reaching for the toast on my plate. "I think it's only right if I want us to be friends. Masen is a mouthful. Although I suppose Edward isn't any better," I joke, wanting to take the tension out of our earlier conversation.
He just stares at me, not saying anything, and I suddenly feel insecure.
"Unless you don't want to be," I quickly amend. "I'm sorry. I didn't make you feel uncomfortable. I know I'm a stranger and all but-"
"Princess," he cuts me off. "It's okay. You just caught me off guard. I'm just used to people having some kind of hidden agenda. I'm not the kind of person people typically want to be friends with unless they get something out of it." His words feel weighted somehow, like he expects me to read between the lines.
"And you think I have a hidden agenda?" I wonder what kind of things people would want with him.
Edward er- Masen shrugs. I study the way he has his arms crossed over his chest. Trying to break through the walls he has so carefully constructed from whatever past he had would be hard if not impossible. But I've always loved a challenge.
"Well," I pick and choose my words. "I've never really had a friend before, so I wouldn't know. But no hidden agenda here. Unless you count wanting to have someone to talk to, but considering I just told you, it's not very hidden."
The corner of his mouth twitches and I consider that a victory and invitation to continue. I straighten up and clasp my hands on my lap. "So, how old are you? No, wait! What's your favorite color?," I ramble, not able to decide what I want to know first. It's been a while since I've gotten to learn something new about someone else and getting to hear about Masen was like a gold mine to me. Masen chuckles, clearly amused.
"Sorry," I apologize. I'm probably scaring him off with my lack of social skills. "That was too much."
He shakes his head, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, propping his head on his fists. "Not at all. Your enthusiasm is…refreshing," he decides, his mouth curving up into a heartstopping grin.
I realize I'm staring so I cough, sitting back in my chair and pulling my legs up to provide some distance. "Um, I guess I'll start with…how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five," he answers quickly but pauses. "Actually my birthday was yesterday. So twenty-six."
Twenty six. That was only eight years older than I was. That wasn't too bad. My parents had a ten year age gap. And then my eyes widen in horror. "Your birthday was yesterday?" I couldn't have known and yet I still feel terrible. "I didn't get you anything. I'm sorry."
"How could you have known?" He says, his brows furrowing.
I sigh, thinking, and then I remember something. It's small but it was better than nothing. I pull it out of my pocket. It was a little squished but nothing too bad.
"Here!" I hold out the small purple flower, presenting it with a flourish. "I was out in the gardens this morning and I saw this and thought of you. Not that you reminded me of a flower." Or maybe he did. He was my bright spot in a field of common daisies. "I thought you might like it. Happy belated birthday."
Masen gives me a look like he thought I was absolutely insane and I myself am now questioning if I need to be locked up. I almost pull my hand back, but his face breaks out into a huge smile. He delicately grabs it from me, bringing it up to his face to take a closer look.
"It's a freesia," I tell him.
"Thank you, Bella. A beautiful flower from an even more beautiful girl." He sounds genuine, tucking the flower behind his ear. "How's it look?" He wiggles his brows.
I toss my head back in laughter at his boyish antics. The entire situation is so childish and nostalgic and the glee bubbles in my chest. "It looks great. Very handsome," I blurt, my face turning red at my unexpected confession but he laughs it off, shaking his head.